Railroad plow-car



(No'Moael.) 5 sheets-sheet 2.

W. B. DO DDRIDGE. RAILROAD PLOW CAR.

No. 545,782. Patented sept. 3, 18%.

(No Model.) W- BVI DODDRIDGE' 5 Sheets Sheet 3.

RAILROAD PLOW GAR.

Pategtggl Sept. 3,

l l l l l l l l l l I l I l i I l l l l i l l l l l l l i l l l l l l ll l l l l l l I l i I l l I l l l l l l (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4. W.B. DODDRIDGE. Y

RAILROAD PLOW GAR.

Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

W. B. DODDR-IDGE.

y (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

RAILROAD PLOW GAR.

Patented Sept. 3, 1l895.

WILLIAM B. Domeinen, or sfr. LoUIs, MIssoURI.

RAILR-OAD PLOW-CAR.

sPncmrcATmN forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,782, dated september3,1895.

Application iilediApril 1,1895. Serial No. 544,031. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. DODD- RIDGE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Railroad Plow-Cars, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to arailroad plow-car and ditcher, with itsappurtenances, for ditching and forming the earth bed embankments at thesides of the track, and has for its object to provide improved means ofholding and adjusting the plow used in connection with the car, ashereinafter particularly described and claimed, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, whereon-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved railroad plow-car, havingthe plow and its controlling appliances; Fig. '2, a plan of thev same;Fig. 3, a plan, to enlarged scale, of one of the end sills and adjacentpart of the car with the plow guide-arm and cylinder, as seen to theleft of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional side view thereof, taken on line 4 4in Fig. 3, showing one end of the sill or corner of the car adapted forholding a traction-clevis; Fig. 5,'

an end elevation of a portion of the sill corresponding with and takenat right angles to Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a vertical section on line 6 6 inFig. 3; Fig. 7, a side view, to enlarged scale, corresponding tothatseen to the left in Fig. 1, of the clamping device used for securing theplow guide-arm to the upright stem'of the plow; vand Fig. 8, a planthereof corresponding to that seen to the left in Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is adiagrammatic side view of the car, (seen in broken lines,) showing thegeneral arrangement of the com pressed-air reservoirs, motioncylinders,valves, and connections for operating the plow guide-arm and. the cranecarried by the carf for controlling the `various tools used; andA Fig.10, a plan of the same.

Fig. 1l is a plan, to enlarged scale, of the swinginggear for the crane;Fig. 12,7a vertical section thereof, taken on line 22 22 in Fig. 11; andFig. 13, a horizontal section taken on line 23 23 in Fig. 12. Fig. 14 isa vertical section through the crane-post and base-plate on the car,showing the hoisting mechanism of the crane; and Fig. 15, a plan thereofomitting the crane-post and top sheave. Fig. 16

.is a detached side View, to enlarged scale, of 4the piston-rod guideseen in Figs. 14 and 15;

and Fig. 17, a cross-section thereof, taken on line 27 27 in Figs. 14and 16.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all thefigures.

A represents a railroad-car which is mounted on the ordinary trucks andwheels and may be of anysuitable construction, but pret erably iiat, asshown, and composed of longitudinally arranged I-shaped beams B Bi',having a covering or platform C and a central deck-plate D. On the car Ais mounted a crane E, having its pillar 1 fixed at Vthe base to thedeck-plate D. The crane E may be of any suitable construction adapted toswing around its pillar 1in either direction. The hoisting-cable 2 ofthe crane E may either pass over and depend directly from the sheave 3at the outer end of the jib 4 in the usual manner, or be directed fromthe sheave 3 along the jib 4 toward the pillar 1 and over an auxiliarysheave 5, from which it depends, as shown by'` full lines in Fig. 1.

Near each end of the car A and transversely` thereto is ahorizontally-arranged cylinder F, containing a piston 6, from each sideof which a rod 7 projects through a stuffing-box S in the closed head ofthe cylinder F. On the outer end of each piston-rod 7 is removablyfixed, by. countersunk screws 9 or otherwise, one end of a preferablytubular extension-arm G, which passes through a hole or bearing in theouter beam B or side of the car A to a suitable distance therefrom,where it is secured to the upright stem 10 of the plow H by means of aclamping device I, the construction ofwhich is clearly shown in thedetail views 7 and 3.

The clamp I consists, preferably, of a ring 64, which embraces the armG, and is split on one side, where it is formed with opposite lugs 65,through which works a set-screw 66, whereby the ring 64 is closed andtightened on the arm G or released therefrom, as required. From the ring64 projectsan arm 67, the end portion of which passes between theopposite lugs 68 of a second split ring 69, arranged at right angles tothe ring 64 and embracing the uprightstem or shank 10 of the plow H. Thering 69 is closed on or released from the plow-stern 10 by a set-Screw70, which works through the lugs 68 and arm 67 vin a similar manner tothe set-screw 66 of thering 64. By this means the plow H may be setvertically or laterally with relation to the car A without moving thearm G, which on the admission of pressure behind the piston 6 within thecylinder F operates to hold and guide the plow H in the desiredposition.

Each end sill J or corner of the car A is formed or provided with adownwardly-extended flange or series of projections 11, havingcorresponding holes or eyes 12, which are respectively adapted forholding a clevis 13, from which the traction-chain extends to the plow Hor other tool in use. By means ofthe multiple holes 12 the clevis 13 canbe changed from one hole 'to another for adjusting the alignment of thetraction-chains between the clevis 13 and the tool.

Through the front end of the draw-bar 14 of the plow H-is a series ofholes or eyes 15, which is suitably spaced vertically and severallyadapted to hold a clevis 16, from which the traction-chain 17 passes toa clevis 18, coupled to a boom K, (broken away,) which projectshorizontally from the side of the car A and is secured at one endthereto, preferably lby double-hinge joints 7c k', whereby the boom Kcan be swung in a horizontal or vertical plane, as required, or the boomK may be rigidly connected horizontally to the car A by any suitablebracing.

Coupled to the boom K, conjointly with the clevis 18, is a clevis 19,from which the traction-chain 17 passes to the clevis 13, held by one ofthe ears or projections 11 at the forward end or corner of the car A,whereby on the traveling of the car A in the direction indicated by thearrow the plow H is operated.

Through the boom K is a series of vertical holes 20, suitably spacedalong the boom K for receiving,respectively,the coupling pin of theclevises 18 19, according to the distance from the car A at which theplow H is held by the guide-arm G, or, in other words, the clevises 1819 are coupled to the hole 20, which corresponds in distance from thecarA to that of the plow H, so that the line of draft through theintervening portion of the chain 17 is aligned to the plow H and inparallelism with the car A; or, if desired, the boom K may be dispensedwith and the traction-chain 17 passed directly from the plow H to theforward end of the car A.

For regulating the height of the nose of the plow H, the hooked end ofthe hoisting-cable 2 of the crane E is hitched to a clevis 21, (seedotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,) held by the draw-bar 14 of the plow H,near its forward end; or the clevis 21 may ,be dispensed with andthecable 2 hitched directly to the traction-chain 17 in advance of theplow H. It is to be here understood that the plow H may be arranged ateither end, and on either side of the car A, as required.

For operating'the crane E and the plow guide-arm G, I preferably usecompressed air,

which may be supplied by the locomotive-engine hauling the car A orotherwise, through the inlet-valve 61 and feed-pipes 46, Figs. 9 and 10,to auxiliary air-reservoirs Q, which are carried by the car A beneaththe platform C, or in any other convenient position, and communicatewith each other by means of pipes 47 48. The pipe 48 communicates withthe supply and exhaust cocks or valves 49 50 51 which are of well-knownconstruction, and control the admission and exhaustion of the compressedair to and from the swingmotion cylinder R, the lift-motion cylinder S,and the brake-cylinder T, of the crane E, respectively. From the feedpipes 46 pipes 52 communicate with the valves 53, which admit andexhaust the air to and from the cylinders F, respectively, of theplow-guide G.

The swing-gear of the crane E, Figs. 1l, 12, and 13, consists preferablyof a horizontal spur-wheel U, which surrounds the crane-pillar 1,contiguous to the deck-plate D of the car A. Between the circumferenceof the pillar 1 and the concentric wall of the recessed opening 55therefor in the wheel U are verticallyarranged friction -rollers 56. Tothe upper side of the wheel U is secured the base of the jib 4 and otherframework of the crane E, the said framework being fixed at the top to acap 57, which is journaled on and supported by the top of the pillar 1,around which the entire structure is adapted to swing in eitherdirection. The spur-wheel U is en gaged by a spurwheel V, which isfrictionally held on an upright shaft 58, having its bearing in thedecl:- plate D and projecting below the latter. On the lower end of theshaft 58 is fixed a spurpinion W, which is engaged-by a toothed rack X,arranged and adapted to reciprocate longitudinally beneath the platformof the car A.

'Within the swing-motion cylinder R is a piston Y, having the rod Z,which passes through a stuffing-box 59 in the head of the cylinder R andis attached at its outer end to one end of the toothed rack X, wherebyon admitting compressed air to either side of the piston Y the rack Xwill swing the crane E in either direction as required.

For hoisting and lowering by the crane E, the cable 2'passes from theouter sheave 3 over a sheave 59', Figs. 14 and 15, which is axiallymounted immediately over the top of the pillar 1, through the interiorof which the cable 2 descends and passes under a sheave 60, axi allymounted below the deck-plate D. From the sheave 60 the cable 2 passesunder and over a sheave 61, arranged at a suitable distance from thesheave 60, and thence returning the end of the cable 2 is connected tothe outer end of the piston rod c, which is attached to the piston dwithin the lift-motion cylinder S, so that on admitting compressed airto either side of the piston d the hooked end of the cable 2 is raisedor lowered by the rod c at pleasure.

j The piston-rod c is guided by a block e, which is fixed to the rod cadjacent to the IOO 545,782 f Y e coupled end of the cable 2, and formedwith a projecting jaw 62, carrying on each inside face a roller 63, thetwo rollers 63 riding upon the lower flanges, respectively, of an I-beamf, which is fixed longitudinally, in the path of therod c, to the underside of the platform C or adjacent framing of the car A.

The brake motion of the crane E, Fig. 2, consists preferably of abrake-'band g, which encircles a pulley-wheel h, fixed on the upper sideof the spur-wheel U of the swing motion.A

The band g is closed upon or loosened from the periphery of the wheel hby levers vl Z, the lever Z being jointed at lits outer end to thepiston-rod m of the brake-cylinder T, the piston of which is operated bycompressed air controlled by thevalve 51, Figs. 10 and 1l,in a similarmanner to the swing and lift motions; or the brake-band g may be"applied by foot or hand, in lieu of compressed air.

I do not limit myself to the use of compressed air for operating thecrane and plow 'guide-arm, as steam, water, or other motive power may beused.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a railroad plow car, the combination of the plow, having anupright stem or shank, an arm projecting `from the car, and means foradjustably securing the arm to the said stem substantially as described.

2. In a railroad plow car, the combination of the plow having an uprightstem or shank, an arm projecting from the car, means for adjustablysecuring the arm to the said stem, a chain connecting the plow to thecar, a crane or derriclz, and means foroperatin g the crane,substantially as described.

3. In a railroad plow car, the combination of the plow, an arm forguiding the plow,4 the said arm being fixed to a piston contained in acylinder, and means for moving the piston within the cylinder,substantially as described.

4E. In a railroad plow car, the combination of an auxiliary compressedair reservoir carried by the car and provided withan inlet valve andpipe, a valve or valves communieating with the reservoir and with acylinder containing a piston, a rod fixed to the piston and passingthrough the closed head of the cylinder, and an arm fixed to the saidrod, substantially as described.

5. Ina railroad car frame, an end sill integral throughoutl and formed,or provided at the end with a downwardly extended flange having one ormore holes for holdinga traction clevis, substantially as described.

WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE.

Witnesses:

C. It. KELLEY, EDWARD W. FURRELL.

